


After The Smoke Clears

by Oblivion_Wanderer



Series: The Red War Files [1]
Category: Destiny (Video Games)
Genre: Aftermath, Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Original Character(s), more tags to be added later, pondering visions/dreams, post-fall of the City
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-04
Updated: 2019-11-23
Packaged: 2021-01-22 14:04:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 15,284
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21303305
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Oblivion_Wanderer/pseuds/Oblivion_Wanderer
Summary: When the City falls, when the Light is taken, the Guardians- those who survive- are scattered.These are stories of six in the aftermath of the fall.
Relationships: Female Guardian/Ghost (Destiny), Guardian & Guardian (Destiny), Nelan (OC)/Ivo (OC)
Series: The Red War Files [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1535792
Comments: 1
Kudos: 2





	1. Nelan

**Author's Note:**

> This is a four part series that follows my Guardian OCs in the aftermath of the attack, and loss of Light. The stories are loosely connected, mostly by the main characters, and take place around the beginning of the Red War campaign.
> 
> Here, in chapter 1, Nelan comes down with a cold and decides being sick is the worst, but she also ponders her vision of the Shard, and also accidently overhears something important from her Ghost.
> 
> Title from the song After The Smoke Clears, by If These Trees Could Talk.

So far, Nelan was of the opinion that being sick was the absolute worst.

Okay, yes; she’s been in arguably worse scenarios. Getting shot, stabbed, accidentally driving her sparrow into a ravine, having her own grenade bounce back on her, thrown off a damn airship by a Cabal. But this was different; she’d never felt such a deep exhaustion, seeping down into her bones and muscles. It was like she had been drained of all energy. She felt weighed down by it. Her head ached and her senses felt muffled. And then there was how she felt like something had torn up her throat.

Yeah, this was the worst.

In retrospect, she should have noticed this sooner. Yesterday when she had arrived at the Farm, she was feeling a bit out if it, but, granted, she had fallen from an airship the week before and spent said week wandering the mountains. She supposed a week such as that would be exhausting. Even though Ivo had healed her after they reunited in the battle-torn streets of the City, she still felt the ache of her injuries linger. Wandering the wilderness certainly didn’t help that.

But of course, she thought nothing of it. She’d only realized that something was wrong with her when she woke up, feeling much worse than yesterday. Was this probably connected to how she felt then? Probably.

Nelan had tried going back to sleep, but only succeeded in dozing off into a fitful nap. She felt cold, even curled up in her blanket. She missed sleeping in the bunk in her old ship; the _Wardenclyff_, which had been destroyed in the attack. The bunk on her old ship was much more cozy than this one. She must have slipped into unconsciousness at some point, because the next thing she knew, she was waking up to Ivo’s weakened voice; telling her “good morning”. She got as far as whispering out “Ghost” before he caught on.

Ivo said he was going to go find someone who could help her, though she didn’t want him to leave. But he came back, and much to her dazed surprise, bringing Ison and her Ghost with him.

And this was how she now found herself propped up on a couple pillows that were brought to her by Ison. The Warlock had helped her sit up so she could place the pillows behind her and help her get comfortable. She had also pressed a bottle of water into her trembling hands for her to drink. She said it was the best she could dig up, but Nelan appreciated her efforts. Ison didn’t have to do this, and yet here she was.

Right now, Ison was sitting nearby on the small bed, her Ghost, Neo, resting on her lap. His shell had a dent in the upper portion that was apparently sustained when they were escaping from the City. Ison was recounting her story of how she got to the Farm, and as dazed as Nelan was, she was at least trying to pay attention.

“We managed to join up with some other Guardians in Twilight Gap that had escaped the attack.” Ison was saying. “Most of them had been mid fight when we lost the Light. They gave me a place to rest and for a while we shared what we had been doing when we lost the Light, as well as sharing our theories on how the Cabal were able to take it from us. Such a thing… It shouldn’t be possible.”

“Ghaul.” Nelan muttered in a raspy voice.

“What?”

“Ghaul. That’s wh-” She tried to explain, but broke out into a cough, making her shudder. Her chest ached.

“Drink some more water.” Ivo gently urged her once she had calmed down and collapsed back against her pillows.

Nelan did as she was told, but frowned she glanced over at him, floating nearby. He’d taken a lot of damage when he fell, his shell looking like it was just barely holding together. His voice was still badly distorted too. Loss of Light on top of falling from an airship- Nelan sure thought he had been dead. Ivo wasn’t dead, thank the Traveler, but she knew he was far from okay. Yet, here he was, fretting over her, as he’d been doing since she woke.

Setting the water aside, she tried to speak again. “I was on the airship. Ghaul- he took the Light.”

The feeling of loosing a vital part of herself, accompanied by the sudden weakness that forced her to her knees. Clutching Ivo as close to her as she could, only to watch him fall into ruins when she lost her grip on him. Looking up at Ghaul, her body throbbing with pain from when he kicked her, and a second later being pushed off the airship. The feeling of falling. She doesn’t remember hitting the ground.

The memories play over again in her head, causing her to screw her eyes shut and drawing in a shaky breath at remembering them. She hears Ivo make an anxious noise, and then she feels a hand smoothing her hair back.

She sees Ison leaning over as she opens her eyes. “Take it easy. You’re sick, remember? You need to mind your health; you’re going to be like this for a couple days.”

Nelan looks at the Warlock, letting out a feeble cough. She knows Ison’s right.

Slumping back against the pillows, she says, “Can you keep telling me your story?”

“Ah. Yes, although…. It kind of gets worse from there. I went to sleep sometime later- I had a strange dream- only to be woken up by Neo, saying he detected movement. Next thing I know Red Legion attacked the camp and everything turned into chaos again.”

The Hunter listens, though she closes her eyes as Ison continues her story. It is a sad tale, and she can’t imagine Ison’s panic in that moment. Nelan realizes this was the same camp she and Ivo had come across after they escaped the City.

‘_Those poor Guardians.’_ She thinks, while her mind is not so muddled. _‘All lost.’_

* * *

“Have you heard from Lucy or Murph?” Nelan asks later in the day.

“Unfortunately, no.” Ivo replies. It’s just the two of them in the ship right now. Ison had to go help with a patrol to make sure there were no Cabal in the vicinity of the Farm. “I haven’t received any communications from their Ghosts ether. I haven’t seen them around here so we can assume they are still out there somewhere.”

Nelan closed her eyes and sighed. She had not gotten the chance to see them, her friends and the two other members of her fireteam, when she flew back in from Old Russia, as she had arrived right in the middle of the attack. However, there was a chance they had been in the City, seen when the Tower was bombed. She knew them; they’d likely taken to the fight (especially Lucy, being the Titan she was).

But she had not heard from them at all. The last time she spoke with them was before she had set off for Old Russia. Nelan wondered about them now; where they had been when the Light was taken. If they had made it out of the City. Where they were now. If they were even still alive.

“I hope they’re okay...” She muttered.

“Hey,” Ivo flew to her and nudged his shell against her head. “I’m sure they’re fine. Lucy is a formidable Titan- A Striker. We know she wouldn’t go down easy, even if she has to punch her way through every Cabal. And Murph is as smart as any Warlock. He knows how to take care of himself, even if this is an unprecedented situation. I’m sure that… that they’re out there and they’re worried about you too.”

Despite how injured Ivo looked, he was being very optimistic today, a much better change from the past week.

And yet…

Oh, her Ghost… Her poor, beloved Ghost. She was overjoyed he was alive, truly, but it made her heart ache to see him in this condition. Nelan had never seen him this banged up before, and he looked so frail. He was still fretting over her, even when Ison assured him that she would be fine, and he was trying to be more optimistic, but she knew he was in pain. He may have been able to heal her, but at a cost of his own energy. Between the two of them, Ivo was hit harder when they lost the Light. He had looked so broken when they found each other.

And that week they traveled the wilderness together she feared at any moment Ivo would just burn out and she would lose him forever. If that happened… well, she wouldn’t know what she would have done. Her heart would be broken, at the very least.

“Maybe.” She pauses to cough. Light, her throat hurts. “...Ivo, are… are you okay? How have you been feeling?”

“Not great- my systems are still, well, not all there. I don’t have a lot of energy, what with the loss of Li-Light.” He shuddered, his eye closing for a moment. “_Ugh_. Sorry. My voice is still stuttering from time to time. System glitch, or hiccup. Whatever. It’s annoying.”

She flashed him a brief smile. He sure still sounded like himself. “I, um- Ivo, I- I’m sorry. I let go of you when we were up there. I let you fall-”

“Hey- Hey!” Ivo met her eyes. “What did Ison say? Not to get worked up. You’re sick, and as of right now you can’t afford to get any worse. _I_ can’t afford for you to get any worse. Now, I am not well, but I am _fine_. My condition is in no way your fault; you did not mean for it to happen. Concern yourself with getting better, okay?”

Nelan hears this, but she can’t help but study the scuffs and burns on his shell; the waver still present in his levitation. “...I’m glad you’re alive.”

“Me too.”

Nelan weakly held out one of her hands, trembling from the chills running through her. Ivo knew the gesture and flew down to rest in her open palm. With Ivo settled in her hand, she held him close to her.

“What are we going to do?” The Hunter wondered aloud. “About, you know, all this?”

“Hm. I’m going to assume you mean retaliating against the Cabal. It would be difficult to say, seeing as we lack our most important abilities. And I don’t believe there’s been word from the Vanguard ether. I’m sure… someone will think of something.” Ivo paused, as if hesitating. “I’m sorry to bring this up, but our vision- it might still mean something. Give us a way to fight back.”

Nelan had an idea of what he was implying. “We don’t know for sure.”

“I know. There’s something about what we saw that keeps pulling at me though. Oh, I’m sorry; this probably isn’t the best time to debate what our vision means.”

“It’s okay.” She leans her head back. When she spoke again, her voice came out in a hoarse whisper. “...Feel up to telling me a story?”

“For you, of course.” Ivo replied. “Let me think… ah, here’s one. On a cold winter day, in the midst of an infestation of spliced Fallen, a Hunter had been summoned to the Cosmodrome to deal with a resurrected enemy. But she was not alone. There she was to meet with two others; A Titan and a Warlock.”

Nelan knew this one; the strike mission where she met Lucy and Murph. So she listened to Ivo as he recounted that particular adventure, and sent a silent prayer to the void that her two friends were safe.

* * *

By the time the next day had rolled around, Nelan felt considerably worse. Judging by how Ivo hovered frantically around her, she figured she probably looked worse for wear as well. She felt dazed and incredibly tired; she could barely sit up enough to drink some water. There was a terrible throbbing in her head and she could hardly get any words out.

Ison brought her some rations of food that she’d be able to keep down, tending to her in a calm demeanor. It was like she had done this before. Ivo, on the other hand- dazed as she was, Nelan could tell he was stressing himself out. She could hear Ison assure her Ghost that she was merely passing through the bulk of her illness right now, though that did not stop his worrying.

Despite being sick, she knew Ivo stressing himself out would just lead to a strain on his already damaged systems. She didn’t want that.

“Ivo, calm down.” She tried, her voice weak.

“You’re worse than before. We don’t have Light. How can I be calm?” He retaliates.

“Knock it off; this is normal.” Ison tries again to convince him. “Listen... What’s best for her right now is to rest. Why don’t you come for a walk with me and Neo?”

“No… No, I should stay-”

“Ivo, go with her.” Nelan paused to cough. “I’ll be fine, I promise. Really, I just wanna sleep. I’ll be fine for five minutes.”

He hesitated, seemingly; floating in that fixed point. But then he came down to her.

“...Are you sure? You’ll be okay, right?” His voice sounded a bit better.

She smiled at him, softly, and as if she could convey to him that she would be fine with just that. “You could use the fresh air.”

“I don’t have a need for air.”

Nelan still smiled at him. She may be sick, but she still found herself amused by her Ghost.

Ivo finally seemed to give in, giving a sigh. “Okay. Sleep, alright?”

She closed her eyes and leaned back on her pillows. She almost wanted to reach out and pull him near, but she was too tired to care. She knew Ivo wouldn’t want to be gone from her side long; he’d probably be back here by the time she woke up. She’d listen to Ison’s words and sleep.

Sleep…

…

She drifts…

* * *

When next she wakes, she feels the touch of a cool cloth on her forehead again. The Hunter cracks open her eyes and sees Ison leaning over her.

“Ison?”

“Hey, you’re back with us.” Ison says, smiling slightly. She stands back and sets the cloth aside somewhere and then kneels down beside the bed. “You’ve been out for a good while, but that’s normal.”

“Really? I still feel dreadful...”

“Yeah, I imagine you will. You’re going through the worst of it now. Your temperature is a bit higher than yesterday, but you’ll live, so long as you take it easy.”

She sees Neo with her, and he says something about more patrols to Ison, then Nelan remembers.

“Wait, Ivo-"

“He’s here with you.” Ison pointed to Nelan’s side and she looked down. Tucked against her arm was her Ghost, likely asleep. He still looked out of sorts (there had been no time to fix him up), but none the less she was glad to see him. “We took a stroll about the Farm, talked a bit, but he was adamant about coming back to you; to keep an eye on you.”

Of course he was. Yet... “Is he okay…?”

“He told me a bit of what happened, and I can tell that the fall he took dealt some serious damage, but I think he’ll live. He’s a strong spirited Ghost.”

“Ivo is truly something...” Nelan almost reaches over to nudge him, but does not. He’s been stressed about her since she took ill; he needed to rest. “Ison, when he wakes up, can you take a look at him for me? Or is there something Neo can do for him? I just- I let him go when we were on the airship; let him fall. I want to make sure the damage isn’t, well, fatal.”

“Most I could probably do is a scan.” Neo replies. “There’s not much I can do, especially with no Light.”

“I don’t know much about Ghosts ether as far as the inner workings go.” Ison adds. “I know someone who might- he works with a lot of machinery in his downtime, and he's worked on a few Ghosts, but I haven’t seen him since the Cabal attacked. Unless- Neo, have you heard from Bastian?”

“No, I haven’t.” There was something in Neo’s voice that sounded like worry. It was probably another Ghost that Neo knew. A friend of his maybe. “Here, I’ll do a scan on Ivo real quick. I can do that much. It won’t wake him.”

Neo came over and Nelan watched as he traced a beam over the sleeping Ivo. It took only a few moments, and Ivo never stirred as Neo scanned him.

“Yeah, I thought so.” Neo reports. “Consistent damage throughout, some glitches in sensory systems low energy reserves- the fall sure did a number on him. But from such a height, and on top of loss of Light, that’s not a surprise. It’s a miracle you two are still alive. However, it doesn’t seem like any of this will kill him. He just needs to take it easy, like you.”

“Okay. Yeah, that’s good...” She coughed, sniffled too, and let her head fall limp on the pillows. “He was not well when I found him… or actually when he found me. He spent the last of his strength to heal me...”

“He cares a great deal for you.” Ison commented. “He was trying to keep you alive.”

“But… he wanted us to go to the Shard. I told him we would-”

“ ‘Shard?’ What Shard? You mean that huge jagged thing on the horizon?”

Oh… She had said that out loud, hadn’t she? Damn this sickness.

Nelan opens her eyes, and meets Ison’s curious gaze. “Me and Ivo- we were up there when the Light was taken. We fell- I don’t remember hitting the ground- and when the dark took me I had this… this dream or… vision. I think it was a vision. I saw flashes of things; triangle shapes, the stars, and a bird. It was flying toward the Shard. The bird was made of Light.”

Ison looks as if she’s debating the logic of this information. “Do you think this, er, vision means anything?”

She had thought about this before, when she saw the looming Shard. It looked dark and twisted, and Hawthorne had warned about poking around over there. However, Nelan couldn’t shake the feeling it was significant, especially when Ivo was so sure they needed to go there.

It made her think; wonder...

“Possibly. When we were in the mountains, Ivo said he had the same ‘dream’. We saw the Shard when we flew here. Ivo seems to think we should go there because it’s a piece of the Traveler. I told him we’d go. There’s a reason we saw it. We-” She started to cough again. “We… need to- ah- damn this-”

She couldn’t speak anymore, too caught up in a coughing fit. Nelan registered Ison helping her to sit up, and the hand she put on the Hunter’s back. She heard Ison speaking softly to her until her spasms faded.

“W-Water.” Nelan choked out.

Ison nodded and picked up a water bottle from beside the bunk, handing to her. She took it, hands still shaking, and drank from it. She handed the bottle back to Ison when she was done with it and tried to catch her breath. She didn’t notice the movement from beside her though.

“Nelan?”

Nelan saw that Ivo was awake, floating beside her. She must have accidentally woken him up when she had been overcome by that fit. Or maybe he sensed it; their neural symbiosis ran deep.

“Hi.” She said in a scratchy whisper.

“Hi.”

Nelan began to open her hands up towards him, but he was already flying forward to bump against her chest. She held him there as she lay back.

“My Ghost. My lovely little light.”

“Mmph.”

He didn’t put up a protest to that nickname, which was probably a reflection of how he felt if he wasn’t complaining about it. But then again, he didn’t seem to be overly bothered if _she_ said it. He didn’t like it when _anyone else_ said it.

“We’ll leave you two alone.” Ison says, getting up and dusting off her tattered robe. “Ivo, let us know if ether of you need anything.”

She listens as Ison leaves the ship, and she focuses on the feeling of her Ghost’s shell beneath her fingers.

“I didn’t mean to wake you.” Nelan tells her Ghost.

“It’s fine. Go back to sleep; we both need it. I’ll be right here with you.”

She tries to go back to sleep, but her mind is still on thoughts of the Shard. Why had they seen it in the first place? What was the significance? It wasn’t just coincidence this was the same sight from their vision/dream. There was a reason.

It was a Shard; a Shard of the Traveler. If that was the case… was there a chance… that it could possibly hold Light?

‘_That would explain why Ivo feels we need to go there.’ _She thinks. _‘__Maybe he can sense something from it. Could it be Light?’_

But would a cast off Shard hold Light? Hawthorne made it sound like that was not the case. Even so, was it worth investigating? Would it give her a way to fight back against the Red Legion and Ghaul?

She pictures the Shard in her mind, and she thinks, past the fog that clouds her senses and everything else, that it triggers something in her. A faint flutter of something somewhere inside her.

Her thoughts slow and she sinks back into sleep.

And she drifts…

* * *

“...She says you’ll be fine, and I trust her, I really do. I… I still- I can’t help it.”

Nelan wakes to this voice, one she groggily recognizes as Ivo. His voice is coming from somewhere behind her, still sounding weak. She opens her eyes briefly, does not see him from where she lays, and lets them drift shut again. She doesn’t move; she’s far too tired to.

“I had known your Light for so long, and I had searched for you for just as long.” She hears him continue. She realizes he’s talking to himself. “And then I found you. I felt so relieved, and with you I realized I felt alive; whole. I never had known what that felt like before. You mean more to me than just being my Guardian, and you make me proud to be your Ghost. I’m so happy; being with you.”

Nelan hears this, and it registers that maybe she wasn’t meant for her to hear. She feels a bit guilty for eavesdropping when her Ghost may not be aware she’s half-awake. Part of her wants to go back to sleep, but part of her is still listening.

“Then we lost the Light and I thought I lost you. But then I found you, and we escaped. We came here, but then you got sick...” Something in Ivo’s voice glitched in sadness. “I know I overreacted, but I don’t want to lose you to something so mundane, after all we’ve been though. Even if I’m told not to worry. And that’s another thing; I’m useless in this situation. I can barely help you, and it hurts to see you like this. I can’t help it, because you are my light, my heart. If you die now, I am lost.”

Something in Nelan’s chest twists at those words, and then…

“I can’t loose you, My Guardian- Nelan. I love you too damn much.”

Nelan’s eyes snap open, willing herself to stay still. Had she heard that right…? Did Ivo just say that he-

He did.

Oh.

“I know that now. I think some part of me has always loved you, but it took me till now it realize it, cliché as it is. I-” She heard him cut himself off with a sigh. “I don’t know why I’m saying this; you’re not awake. And if you were, you’d probably chalk this up to a fever dream. Is this even the right time to be saying this?”

‘_No, you’re wrong. It’s not a dream; I heard you. I-’_

She halts that line of thought.

What was Ivo to her? Friend, yes. But has she ever questioned if there’s deeper meaning to that?

Ivo.

Ivo is...

Ivo has been her companion for so long; her chatty, encouraging, slightly sassy and overconfident companion. She supposed the point of a Ghost was to be a Guardian’s companion and connection to the Light, but Ivo is more than a Ghost. He is so much more than a Ghost to her. He’s the most vibrant thing she has known. He’s someone who can make her smile and laugh. He’s someone who has always been by her side, believes in her. In their time together, Ivo has become part of her.

He’s the other half of her soul; part of the Light in her veins. He makes her feel so loved, and the feelings he stirs in her heart are mutual-

_...Oh._

She sighs out loud; she’s an idiot.

She’s in love with her Ghost, as he is in love with her.

“Nelan?”

The Hunter froze. She thought when Ivo had gone quiet again he had just went back to sleep. Oops.

She rolled over, finding Ivo hovering nearby. “...Yeah?”

“I didn’t notice you were- how long have you been awake?”

“I, uh...” Not wanting to admit she accidentally heard his confession, she decided to play along, to that end forcing a feeble cough. “Not sure; I was dreaming before. Time?”

“Just after midnight; you’ve been in and out of it all day. Let me see you real quick.” He scanned her over. “Your temperature is still high, but it’s gone down a degree. Do you need anything?”

“No; it’s okay.”

“Alright, but make sure to drink some water. Ison says it’s important we keep you hydrated.” He then said, “You mentioned you were dreaming. What were you dreaming about?”

Nelan shifts to lay on her back, folding her hands atop her stomach. “The Shard. I was thinking about it earlier.”

“Ah. Yeah, I’ve been thinking about it too.”

She turns her head to him. “I’m sorry. I know you wanted to go there, and don’t worry; we’re gonna go. There has to be meaning to what we saw. There must be answers, and the Shard-”

“Screw the Shard.”

Nelan falls silent, staring at her Ghost, surprised. He’s looking away from her, but Nelan had certainly not been expecting that from him. After a moment, he meets her eyes again, flying closer this time.

“We don’t have Light. You are sick, and your health is more important.” He says, sternly, but also in a quieter tone. “The Shard is still in my thoughts, but not as much as you. I still believe we should go there, but we’re not going anywhere until this illness is out of your system. We’ll go to the Shard when you’re ready.”

She’s not sure what’s changed in her Ghost in the time she’s been asleep, but there was something touching about his words. Maybe it was partially because of what she now knew.

“Okay… Sorry.”

“My Guardian, it’s alright. Go back to sleep and we’ll see how you feel in the morning, okay?”

She nods quietly, closing her eyes and rolling back over on her side, facing him. A moment later she feels a touch of cool metal against her cheek, as if it’s a kiss. It leaves her just as quickly, but she knows he likely hasn’t gone far. He’s still with her.

And as she drifts back to sleep, she remembers what Ivo had spoke to her, thinking she was asleep.

> _“I love you too damn much.”_

‘_It did not go unheard, Ivo. When we find answers, reclaim our Light, I’ll tell you. I’ll tell you of the love I have in my heart for you.’_

* * *

She still feels sick come morning, but Ivo, Neo, and Ison all agree she is improving after assessing her condition. Nelan does feel slightly better, admittedly. She can at least stay awake for longer periods of time. She also notes that Ivo seems less stressed now, much to her relief, and he seems to have a bit more energy today. It makes her smile.

She doesn’t see Ison for much of the day after her brief visit in the morning; she’s helping Hawthrone set up a communication network for the Farm. In her stead, of course, is Ivo to look after her, which he is all too happy to do. Nelan’s never minded the company of her constant companion, and after all they went through, she would like nothing more than to have him by her side.

So, Ivo makes sure she eats and drinks water. He makes sure she rests when she clearly needs it. He even manages to coax Nelan out of bed at some point to have her walk about, reasoning she’s been in bed for far too long.

She gets a blanket around her shoulders and slowly makes her way out of the ship. Nelan lingers around the ship for the most part, breathing in the air and looking out over the Farm. For the most part, the Farm is just a collective of small buildings. Maybe some time, long ago, this place was a village. It was obvious it had since been abandoned, but now it had been repurposed by Hawthorne and her group. She had opened it up as a refuge for citizen and Guardian alike; for those who had been able to flee the City.

And Nelan sees, off in the distance, the Shard; the place from her vision.

She still wonders, but she pulls her blanket tighter around herself. The Shard can wait, She can’t do anything while she’s still sick.

Nelan takes a nap later on, and toward the evening, she and Ivo go outside again and watch the sun set. She doesn’t have the energy to climb up on top of the ship, so she sits down on the ground instead. Ivo, meanwhile, nestles himself in the crook of her neck. They don’t say much; mostly sit in silence. Occasionally, Ivo will ask if she’s okay or if she needs anything, but nothing more. And that’s okay. Nelan doesn’t mind right now, so long as Ivo’s here.

When the moon begins to rise, Nelan returns to the ship, suddenly feeling drained. She retreats to the bed and curls up in the blanket. Ivo joins her, settling close to her head.

“You’ll feel better soon, I promise.” He says, almost a whisper. “In the meantime, if you need anything, I’ll be right here.”

Her eyes droop shut as he says this, but she can sense the fondness behind his words. His love. And she...

‘_I love you too, Ivo.’ _

* * *

Nelan can breathe easier the next day.

“Good morning, Guardian.” Ivo greets her when she wakes, as he usually does every morning, even now in such a dreary situation.

Nelan softly smiles back up at him. “Good morning, Ghost.”

“Oh? Are you feeling better? You certainly sound better; look it too. Your eyes are much brighter today.” He quickly scans her. “Your body temperature is nearly back to normal as well!”

She sits up in bed, yawning and rubbing at her eyes. It feels like she’s been asleep for days, though that’s literally what she had done during the course of her illness. “Still not feeling all there, but yes.”

He zips forward, nuzzling her cheek. Nelan laughs (which then dissolves to a brief cough).

“That’s good!” He exclaims in a cheery tone. It almost takes the distortion out of his voice. “I’m so happy to hear that! I was worried.”

“I know you were, Ivo. And-” She draws her hands back, letting him hover freely. “-thank you for looking after me.”

“You should thank Ison too; it wasn’t just me. Turns out she once spent a winter helping tend to sick civilians and making medicinal supply runs. She knows how to deal with this sort of thing.”

“Maybe, but you were here.”

“I was overreacting for the most part. That wasn’t very helpful of me.”

“But I understand why. If the positions were reversed- well, if you somehow got worse than you already are, I’d probably react the same way. I just didn’t want you to stress yourself out and make your injuries worse. I feel bad I made you worry, but you provided me comfort. You found someone to help when I first took ill. You made sure I ate and slept and stayed hydrated. Maybe Ison helped a bit with that last one, but you’re the one who was here the most. Thank you.”

Ivo had quietly watched her as she had spoken, and, then after another beat of silence, said something too.

“You’re my Guardian.” He said. “You are the most important person in my life. I’ll always be here with you, whether you’re sick or hurt, or anything else. Of course I would look after you; do anything I could to help you. I...” He trailed off, hesitating. Nelan wondered, for a moment, if he would say those words she’d heard whispered in the night. “There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you. Speaking of which, I made you something yesterday while you were napping.”

“Hm?”

Ivo hovered back a few inches, and then transmatted something onto her lap. It was a heap of fabric, but when she picked it up, she realized what it was.

“Oh...”

“Ison suggested I make it for you.” Ivo explained. “I may not have Light, I may be damaged, but I can still do this. I scavenged what materials I could, and I know it’s not as good as the one I originally made you when we met, but I hope you like it. I still owe you one from way back when you made me this shell.”

The Hunter held in her hands a scarf, multi-colored with various patches of scrap fabric. She savored in the softness of it before placing it around her neck. It felt nice, especially since she knew this was one made by Ivo.

“It’s lovely. Thank you.”

Ivo made a pleased sound and did a flip in the air. He must he feeling much better if he’s doing that. “I’m glad you think so!”

She does feel better, and she knows now that so is Ivo, though still looking worse for wear. They’re both in much better shape than previously.

And… now that they were…

“Ivo. I have a favor to ask.”

“Of course, Nelan. What is it?”

“It’s about our vision.”

* * *

“Are you sure you’re feeling up for this?”

Nelan nods, setting the ship down by the perimeter wall. Ivo transmats her out and she stares at the rusted wall that nature is in the process of growing over. Hawthorne had given her these coordinates when Nelan had spoken with her about what she planned to do. Ivo had been hesitant to agree to this, but given his own interest in the Shard, and belief that they needed to go there, he deemed her well enough to travel, so long as they were careful. He still wouldn’t be able to resurrect her. He made her promise to this.

Nelan hadn’t told Ison of this plan, but left a note for her and Neo, thanking them both for helping take care of her while she was sick.

“You said it yourself, Ivo. That’s where we need to go. I thought about it while I was sick, and perhaps it is there we can find some way to fight back. Maybe, since it is part of the Traveler, it has a little bit of Light left.”

“It’s been here alone and separate from the Traveler for so long, but it is possible.” Ivo agreed, but then added. “If you need to rest, let me know. We can take this as slow as you need.”

“You two sure you want do this?” Hawthrone asked through the coms. “There’s a reason this place is called a “dead zone” you know? And you both still aren’t in the best of shape.”

“We have to.” Ivo replied. “It’s a sign. And that may be true, but we’re well enough to do this.”

“Yeah, a sign that says “dead zone”, but alright. You Guardians sure have a weird idea for a good time.”

“Where’s this entrance anyway?” Nelan asked, approaching the wall. It reminded her of the Cosmodrome. “The primary entrance through the wall looks to be a gate, but it’s closed and rusted shut. I don’t have the ability to necessarily climb over right now ether.”

“There’s a small gap in the wall. It’s kind of hard to see, but it’s there. Nobody goes farther than that. At least no one who wants to come back.”

“I’ll look for it. You sure know a lot about this place.”

“I’ve been all over the EDZ. Charming enough, I mean, nothing says “come visit” like a dark, haunted forest.”

“But non-Guardians aren’t supposed to leave the City.” Ivo interjected.

“Here’s the thing about City rules- They stop applying once you leave the City.” Hawthorne retorted.

Nelan couldn’t help but chuckle at that. She soon located the hole Hawthorne was talking about. It was just big enough for her to crawl through.

She turned to her Ghost. “Stay phased. You’ll need to in case we run into trouble. Plus, you’ll conserve more of your energy that way.”

Ivo obeyed without question and demateralized. Even without Light, she could still feel his presence; an energy or aura lingering around her. In her. Part of her. Their bond of neural symbiosis was still there and in tact.

Nelan made her way through the hole in the wall and emerged on the other side. Twisted roots in a dark mist lay before her; stretching into an unknown wood. No, wilderness more like.

Hawthrone’s voice came into the coms again as she began to walk forward, but…

“Let me know when you’v-”

Static interference cut her off.

“Hawthrone?” Ivo tried. “Hawthrone, can you hear us?”

“Signal must be dead.” Nelan realized.

“Our proximity to the Shard shorted it out maybe. Are you sure you still want to do this?”

“Are you?”

“...Yes. We’re together; we’ll be okay.”

Nelan nodded and smiled to herself. “Then so am I.”

With her Ghost by her side, Nelan continued forward into the mist, into the unknown, her course plotted for the Shard and whatever waited for them there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is a side story in progress for this chapter, which is basically Ivo's pov of these few days. It was supposed to originally be part of this chapter, but decided to separate it and make it as its own thing that will be posted later on.
> 
> Also, Nelan never ends up expressing her feelings for Ivo until after the Red War, due to various events that occur after she hears his confession. That is covered in a fic I originally posted back in early 2018 called Made Of Star-Stuff.


	2. Lucy & Murph

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lucy and Murph find each other and escape the City. They end up traveling with a group of survivors and eventually find their way to the Farm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter also features an appearance from Elm, a non-Guardian OC of mine who is also Nelan's tattoo artist (as featured in the fic "Marked")

The first thing Lucy saw when she woke was the face of Murph-9, his red-orange eyes looking down at her. It eerily reminded her of when her Ghost, Zora, resurrected her for the first time.

“Good; you’re awake.” The Exo Warlock said. Lucy felt his hand on her arm. “I thought for a moment we lost you.”

“Murph.” She muttered.

Murph’s hand gripped her arm and she let him help her sit up. She instantly winced and put a hand to her head. Wow, did she have a headache. Her whole body seemed to ache for that matter.

“Careful; you’re bleeding.”

Lucy pulled her hand away and saw that Murph was right. There was blood on her fingers. She must have hit her head somehow.

Lucy looked around and saw she was in the ruins of something, maybe a wall or a building that had been hit by a blast. Then she remembered the Thresher that had fired at her. She’d tried to take cover, but it must have hit nearby and the blast threw her off her feet. She must’ve been knocked unconscious from it. If it had hit directly she would have been dead.

Lucy remembered this; that would explain why she felt like she’d been run over by a tank. That aside though, there was something else that felt even more off, the kind of feeling that ran deep.

Something felt wrong; something _was _wrong.

Something was _gone._

And then Lucy remembered and she went still.

Now… Now she remembered.

There had been a feeling of something being forcibly separated from her; pulled from her body. It hurt, and she fell. That feeling of something being taken from her had been the last thing she remembered before the Thresher had fired at her, and yet, somehow, she had known. Some part of her knew exactly what had happened.

Lucy slowly turned her gaze up to Murph with a horrified expression.

“Murph. The- The Light-” She choked out. “It’s gone, isn’t it?”

She couldn’t read expressions on her Exo friend, but she didn’t need to know. She was already aware of what he was going to say.

“It is, Lucy.” His voice held dread in it; a tone she hadn’t heard in a while. He usually sounded quite calm, unless of course you got him talking about something he was very interested in. This sort of tone though she hadn’t heard since the fight against Aksis.

She sat back in defeat. “Shit...”

If the Light was gone, then… then there was nothing now to stop the Cabal from taking the City. She was powerless, and she assumed every other Guardian was as well.

They’d lost.

Lucy then noticed something; Murph held one of his arms close to his body. She thought his arm was broken or something, but in that hand she can see that there’s a familiar object that he’s holding close.

His Ghost is cradled in his hand.

“Rheya.” She whispered.

She saw the Ghost’s shell twitch in his hand; she was still alive. Murph looked down at his Ghost and brushed his fingers over the top of her shell.

“She’s alright, sort of.” Murph said, quietly. “She’s weak and disoriented from, well, the Light being taken. She was affected much worse than me.”

The mention of his own Ghost jarred something in Lucy’s memory, a very important something.

“Wait- Zora!” That’s right! Her Ghost had suffered from the loss as well; just as sudden if not worse. She had known something was wrong. Zora had still been with her though… up until the blast from the Thresher. She remembered Zora getting knocked out of her grasp. Lucy looked around but didn’t see any sign of her friend. m=Maybe she’d been knocked away in the blast. “Where’s Zora?!”

“She’s near.” Rheya suddenly spoke. Lucy saw the Ghost wriggle around in his hand until he let her go. She floated up to Lucy’s eye level. “I’ve got her signal; it’s how we found you. She should be around here.”

Rheya flew past Lucy, scanning the area around them. She wavered in her levitation once, but kept looking.

“Rheya, take it easy.” Murph said, noticing.

“Says the one who was shot in the leg.” Rheya retorted she she continued to search. Lucy would have laughed, but she can’t; she’s more worried about Zora, and now worried about Murph since he had apparently gotten himself shot.

Suddenly, Rheya stopped, gaining Lucy’s attention. “Rheya?”

The Ghost didn’t say anything, just stayed floating in the same spot. Then she flew down toward a pile of rubble. “I found her!”

Lucy got to her feet and rushed over to where Rheya was. “Where?”

“Under this rubble...” She wavered again and then retreated back to Murph. She must not be able to stay hovering much longer.

Lucy got down on her knees and started to move back the rubble. She believed Rheya was right, so Zora must have ended up buried in the blast. That would also explain why Lucy hadn’t seen her right away.

Once she got one piece removed, she found Zora there on the ground, her shell covered with a layer of dust and her single optic dim.

“Zora.” The Titan breathed, carefully picking up the Ghost. She could hear Murph come up behind her, but she didn’t pay attention to his presence. Lucy carefully dusted off Zora’s shell, mostly as an effort to get her to wake.

“Is she...” Murph began to ask, but didn’t finish the thought.

Lucy dismissed the Warlock’s unfinished question. “Come on, Zora; don’t do this to me. Please...”

Zora didn’t answer and Lucy started to fear the worst. However, as if called by Lucy’s voice, Zora’s darkened optic suddenly pulsed blue and lit up.

“Guardian…” She muttered weakly. “Lucy.”

Lucy sighed in relief. “Thank the Traveler...”

Zora tried to lift herself up from Lucy’s hands, but didn’t get very far. “Where- What- are we still in the City?”

“Yeah, we are. We got hit from the blast of a Thresher, but we’re alive… somehow. Murph and Rheya are here too; They found us.”

“Good, Good… Are you okay? You’re bleeding.”

Zora must have noticed the cut on her forehead. “I’m fine, but… Zora, our Light is gone. It’s gone from all of us.”

“W-What?!” She attempted to move again, this time able to hover a few inches off her palms. “That can’t be! How is that-” She spun around in a circle, and then faced Lucy once more. “You’re… you’re right. I can’t feel the Light at all.” Zora floated back down into Lucy’s hands. “How can the Light be gone?”

“Look to the Traveler.” Murph spoke up. Lucy turned her head in his direction. “Before we lost the Light, we caught sight of some kind of machine being placed around it, and it certainly hadn’t been there before. We saw an orange glow cover the Traveler… a second before we lost the Light. It can’t just be a coincidence. Whatever that machine is, it’s caged the Traveler and taken our Light, along with every other Guardian’s.”

“If this is true, then maybe that’s really what the Cabal were after.” Lucy thought aloud, taking Murph’s theory into consideration.

“I think it is.” Rheya said. “What’s worse is that we’ve been picking up some disturbing chatter. The Cabal have claimed the City and are killing any Guardians they can find.”

It made sense, but why? She hadn’t thought the Cabal were capable of such a thing, but what was their goal in taking the Light and trapping the Traveler. She knew Cabal tactics, and this just didn’t seem like them.

“We have to get out of here if they are killing Guardians.” Zora said. “We can’t stay here.”

“No, we can’t.” Murph agreed.

Still holding onto Zora, Lucy stood once more. As much as she didn’t want to leave the City to the Cabal, without the Light it was no longer safe to stay. They couldn’t fight. They needed to get out of the City before the Cabal found them.

“Then let’s move.”

Murph gave a nod and handed Lucy a weapon, one that she recognized as her auto rifle she’d been awarded during the last Iron Banner. He must have found it nearby.

Together they set out through the deserted and ruined streets, at the same time keeping an eye out for any Cabal. There was no way they could fight back in this condition. Still, they kept their weapons in hand; Lucy with her autorifle and Murph with his Sunshot hand cannon. In her free hand, Lucy carried Zora, while Rheya was nestled in the collar of Murph’s robe.

She noticed that Murph was limping a bit as they walked along. Rheya had mentioned he had been shot in the leg…

“You okay Murph?” Lucy asked, breaking the silence.

“My leg, you mean. It’s not as bad as it seems.” Murph replied. “After the Light was taken, we took cover in a building and tracked your signal through Zora. There was a small group of Cabal blocking our path forward when we attempted to leave our hiding spot to come find you. I was able to fend them off, but the last one shot me in the leg… I think it hit my knee, or somewhere around that area.”

“Which is why you should let me heal you.” Rheya weakly muttered. “You can barely walk.”

“When we’re out of here. If we stop now we could get ambushed and I will not risk you getting killed.”

“Stubborn Warlock.”

“Any chance you’ve been able to reach Nelan the same way you found me?” Lucy asked.

“Or Ivo?” Zora added.

“We’ve tried to reach them, but we’ve gotten no response. We haven’t been able to get a signal off Ivo ether.”

Lucy cast Murph a worrying look. “You don’t think-”

“I don’t know. The last we heard is what you said before the Light was taken; that Nelan was supposed to be coming back from Old Russia. Maybe she saw what was going on and fled before the Light vanished.”

“Doubt it. You know she wouldn’t have run away.”

“I know; I’m trying to be optimistic. She’s a tough Hunter; if… if something happened, we both know she would have gone down fighting.”

“I hope she made it out.”

“Me too...”

They continued on, keeping quiet and on the watch. They could only hope Nelan was out there somewhere and still alive. As for themselves, they had to focus on getting out of the City.

Eventually they came to an opening in the wall, the perimeter of the City. Normally, people could not pass beyond the wall unless you were a Guardian; it had always been a rule. However, as Lucy looked upon it now, he could see that there was a giant hole in the wall that had always seemed unbreakable. Cabal must have done that during their initial attack on the city.

Lucy shared a brief glance with Murph, and then together they took a step forward and through the wall.

* * *

Murph collapsed against a tree, his body weighed down by exhaustion. His injured leg hurt terribly, but at least he could rest now. Lucy had deemed them far enough away to be able to rest for a little while in relative safety. They were as far away from any civilization as they could be; out in the middle of the wilds. Hopefully this would provide temporary safety from the Cabal. Temporary, in the sense that it wasn’t out of the question the Cabal might search the surrounding areas for surviving Guardians. It would be fine for now, probably, but it was temporary all the same.

“I’m gonna go check around, make sure there’s no Cabal near.” Lucy said, kneeling next to him. The cut on her forehead had since stopped bleeding, though it had tracked a little trail of blood down the side of her face. She looked pretty roughed up. “Are you going to be okay here?”

“I’ll be fine.” Murph assured her. “Exo’s can take a punch… or a shot. Internal damage is the only major thing to worry about for me. But, Lucy- Make sure to find some food for yourself; berries or something. I don’t need it, but you will.”

“Yeah, I’m aware. You have Rheya message us if any trouble comes your way, got it?”

“I will.” He weakly held up his Sunshot.

Lucy flashed a smile at him, then got up and walked off into the woods.

Murph rested his hand canon in his lap, knowing he was nearly out of ammunition for it. Lucy was probably running low too, but then again, if all else failed, she’d probably resort to punching everything.

His Ghost, Rheya, moved from the collar of his tattered robe and scanned his injured leg.

“They got you just below the knee. You’re lucky you can even move your leg.” She says. “Will you let me heal you now?”

“I think we’re safe for now, so go ahead.”

“I don’t have too much energy, but I’ll do what I can for you.”

Murph went quiet while Rheya did her work, mulling over his thoughts.

How did the Cabal even get into the City in the first place? Murph knew there had been a storm looming on the outskirts of the City, so maybe they had used that for cover. Still, they shouldn’t have been able to sneak past the defense network with all those ships. Jamming device maybe? And where had they even gotten the technology to cut every Guardian off from the Light?

Murph remembered hearing on coms chatter that these Cabal weren’t just any Cabal, but a faction called the Red Legion. These guys were smarter, more organized, more brutal. Perhaps they had devised some way to take the Light and had been planning this for a while. Whoever was at the head of the Red Legion was set on the Light and the Traveler. But why, other than to cripple the Guardians?

He heard Rheya give a tired sigh, drifting back to him. Murph held out his hand and she came to rest on his palm. He brought her down and set her on his lap next to his Sunshot

“I’ve done what I can.” Rheya reports. “I could heal most of it, but there is some traces of deeper damage I wasn’t quite able to reach. Probably due to lack of Light. I fear you may still have difficulty moving your leg.”

“You did good, Rheya. It’s okay.”

“It won’t be okay if some Cabal find us.”

“Not just any Cabal. I caught on the coms that these Cabal belong to a faction called the Red Legion.”

“...Yes, I heard it too. They came for the Traveler. What do they want with it?”

Murph shrugged. “I’m not sure...”

A few minutes later, Lucy came back with some berries gathered in her helmet for herself. Zora transmatted some sticks onto the ground, presumably to construct a fire with. Lucy said that she checked around the area for Cabal and found none, declaring they were in the clear for now. Murph loosely followed along with what she was saying. Despite Rheya’s healing efforts, there was still a faint ache in his injured leg and he felt weary.

“You okay?”

Murph looks to Lucy, who is trying to start a fire with the sticks she gathered. Zora’s giving her a hand, trying to light the stick too with a beam of light. He gives a nod before replying, “Just my leg bothering me. Rheya wasn’t able to fully heal it, unfortunately. “

Lucy frowns. “You gonna be okay to walk? We’re gonna have to move on eventually.”

“I think so. I’ll find something I can use for a walking stick. Those berries going to be enough for you?”

“They’ll have to do. Zora scanned them too, to make sure they’re okay to eat.”

“Good. You’re in a much more vulnerable state than me, being Human. No offense.”

“It’s fine.” Lucy said. “I know how to take care of myself. All Guardians are given basic survival training after all; it’s not just a Hunter thing. Though I must admit, Hunters are more adept with survival.”

“Makes you miss Nelan, huh.” Murph mused.

“Yeah. She goes running around out in the wilds all the time, especially in the Cosmodrome. There’s a reason she’s called “Pathfinder”.” A smile was on her face for a moment, but it faded just as quickly. “But she’s not here. It’s just you and me, Murph.”

Murph nodded, leaning his head back and closing his optics. “Yeah, I know.”

Last he knew, the Hunter of their team would have been coming back from Old Russia when the attack started. It was unknown what had become of her; if she was alive or dead. On one hand, Nelan was resourceful and one of the finest Hunters he knew. However, on the other, even she was vulnerable without the Light. If she was in the City or within the vicinity when it happened, there was a chance she hadn’t been able to escape. There was no way to know for now.

Murph and Lucy had themselves to worry about anyway.

Lucy, with help from Zora, managed to get a small fire going. She huddled as close to it as she could, trying to get warm most likely. For the most part, she was quiet and ate the berries she had picked, poking at the fire with a stick from time to time. Murph suspected she was thinking about the attack. He understood that as a Titan, Lucy had an obligation to protect the City and its citizens. All Guardians did, but Titans more-so. They were the defenders; the soldiers, the front lines. To have the City fall, to have the Light taken, to her must feel like she had failed in that aspect.

Though Murph was not a Titan, he understood.

When Lucy gave up her tattered mark and used it to make a space for Zora and Rheya to rest in, Murph decided to strike up a conversation to get her mind off things. Easier said than done when their Light had been taken and a risk of perma-death hung over their heads. Honestly, the reason why he was trying to start conversation with her was so that he wouldn’t have to think about that possibility himself. Of course that also left nothing much to talk about. Anything they tried talking about always circled around to the destruction they had managed to escape.

“Hey, what do you think happened to them anyway? The Vanguard?” Lucy asked at one point.

“Not sure. We know Zavala was at the Tower plaza when we lost the Light. They must have all been there. You worried that we’ve received no transmissions from them?”

“Kinda…"

“The coms have been knocked out since the Light was taken.” Murph reasoned. “We know that since we haven’t been able to reach Nelan ether. We have to keep in mind that the Cabal could have our normal lines of communication hacked as well. Just because the coms are down does not mean that something happened to them. The Vanguard could still be out there. Nelan could still be out here. The Cabal really took us by surprise, admittedly, but have faith, my friend.”

She looked up at him and a faint smile came over her lips. “Feeling optimistic?”

“Trying to be. I know you take your role as a Titan seriously, and what happened to us- you did everything you could. You couldn’t have foreseen this.”

Lucy shrugged. “I guess you’re right. Most we can do right now is survive, and try not to think about our possibly impending doom.”

“Then think of this as…. a camping trip, and we’re sharing stories around this fire.”

“Camping? Camp fire stories where we confess out secrets? You’re ridiculous.” Lucy said this, but Murph noticed his friend was still smiling. It was her turn to toss a stick into the small fire. “Speaking of impending doom, if we are going to die, I got something to confess.”

That was unlike Lucy. She was never one to hide things. “Yes?”

“I… once tried to out-punch a Fallen walker.”

Murph took a moment to process that. Should he be surprised by that statement? No.

“You didn’t.” He finally said. Lucy didn’t answer, so he continued, “And… how did that go…?”

“About as well as you’d expect.”

Now it was Murph’s turn to laugh.

* * *

They stayed in their makeshift camping spot for the rest of the day, and into the evening. When night fell, Murph volunteered to keep watch so Lucy could get some sleep. He reasoned that he didn’t need sleep, being an Exo. Rheya agreed to stay awake with him in case she detected any movement on her radar. Lucy trusted her friend, so she allowed his request. She still did a quick patrol around their camping spot to make sure there were no enemies around.

The Titan’s sleep was a fitful one; part of her still on edge from the attack. There were a few times she drifted in and out of sleep, but Zora would always notice and hum something to try and lull her back to sleep. Sometimes she’d hear Murph and Rheya talking, stargazing maybe.

When morning came, she found the fire snuffed out and a torn robe over her; Murph’s. She was still alive. They were both still alive.

Lucy pulled the robe into her lap as she sat up, finding Murph nearby. “Why your robe?”

The Warlock, sitting nearby, and with Rheya hovering beside him, shrugged. “You’re my friend and teammate. Why not? And before you ask, no I’m not cold.”

She gave him a tired smile, which was then interrupted by a growl of hunger from her stomach. “Ah, shit...”

“You need to eat.” Zora pointed out, circling her head.

“No kidding… but we need to think about moving on. We can’t just stay here and hope for rescue.”

“No, we cannot.” Murph agreed. “I did a quick sweep of our surroundings while you slept; no Cabal, but that doesn’t matter. If we stay, we risk a chance of being found and killed. If we keep moving, there’s a chance we might run into other survivors. Lucy, gather up some berries so you at least have something to eat.”

Murph got himself onto his feet; struggling due to his leg, but using a large stick for support. Lucy figured he must have found that when she was asleep. He reached out a hand to Lucy and she took it, getting upright fairly easy, though she did sway once due to her own fatigue. She quickly gathered up some berries left on a bush where she had gotten them yesterday, and the two moved on.

The wilds were quiet as they walked- limped- along. There was the occasional sound of a bird, though Lucy was on alert for any enemies. Zora and Rheya were keeping an eye on their radars for possible enemies. Hopefully the Cabal were too busy gloating and celebrating their own victory to be bothered tracking down any stray Guardians. They had took the Light; they knew Guardians would be vulnerable without it. Then again, Cabal were vicious, these ones especially. Most likely, they would show no mercy on any surviving Guardians.

Lucy would look beside her to Murph from time to time. Her friend seemed to be managing, using that stick to help him walk, but she noted his movements; slowed, staggered. He said Rheya hadn’t been able to fully heal his leg, and Lucy worried for her friend. He didn’t complain about it though, but she knew that didn’t mean everything was fine.

They traveled through the unknown landscape for- well, Lucy didn’t know how long they had been walking or how far. She’d been occasionally eating berries she had stored in her helmet, sustaining herself for the time being; time passing was not a concern. Time slipped by and blurred together. At least they had no encountered any trouble in the journey to… who knows where.

In a moment they stopped to rest, they chanced checking the frequencies for any transmissions. They found none, but as they checked, Zora alerted them to movement in the woods. Lucy took point, ready to fight a Cabal soldier with what little ammo she had left in her auto. But come to find out, the source was not any enemy.

It was a civilian, saying they were with a small band of people trying to get away from the City and find shelter.

* * *

The group, taking shelter in a cave, was a collective of about 13 people who had managed to get out of the City during the attack. Lucy didn’t recognize any of them- all civilians. They recognized Lucy and Murph as Guardians and welcomed them warmly, even though these people were aware that they were without Light.

None the less, Lucy was glad to see more people, and glad to see that these ordinary citizens had managed to survive.

After settling in, the two were approached by one of the civilians, looking like a guard maybe, asking if Murph could possibly lend a hand with one of the more injured of the group that was brought in the previous day. Murph shrugged and agreed, even though he couldn’t do as much as lay down a healing rift. Lucy accompanied him, offering assistance. They were led back to a young woman who’s head was wrapped in bandages and one of her legs was in a rough splint.

Lucy’s heart twisted; this person looked like they’d been put through the wringer. Another hurt in the attack.

“Hello there.” Murph greeted, kneeling down next to her. “Are you with us?”

The woman’s hazel eyes focused on him. “Guardian.”

“Yes.” Murph turned to his Ghost. “Rheya, can you assess her present condition?”

“I can do that.” She flew forward and scanned the woman.

“Wait… Rheya?” She winced as the Ghost scanned her. “Are… Are you Murph-9? And you- Lucy Carter?”

That caught Lucy’s attention. Did he know this person…? Or rather, did she know him. And she knew Lucy’s name as well.

“You know our names.” Lucy said, getting down next to Murph so she could talk to this person.

“Broken leg, bad head injury, some cuts and bruises, maybe a cracked rib- but no internal bleeding, no infections of injuries.” Rheya announced before anyone else could say anything. “She’s not in a coma, obviously. She needs to take it easy, but as long as we keep an eye on her main injuries I think she’ll recover.”

“Good to know, thank you, Rheya.” Tapping his Ghost gently on the top of her shell, he looked back to the woman. “Those are our names. Have we met? I don’t remember...”

“You wouldn’t, but I know of you through one of my clients.” The woman paused, closing her eyes for a moment. Rheya had said she may have a cracked rib or two; Lucy wondered if she had having trouble breathing at times because of her injuries. “My name is Elm; I’m a tattoo artist. I know your teammate, Nelan. I do her tattoos.”

“Oh! She’s mentioned you!” Lucy exclaimed. Elm managed a smile. “We’re her teammates. We were in the City when the attack started, but… We haven’t seen our friend, unfortunately.”

“She was supposed to be coming back from Old Russia.” Murph added.

Elm’s smile faded just as quickly. “I… I think I might know something about that.”

Lucy felt a creeping dread come over her. “What is it?”

“I was waiting for another client when I heard the explosions. I saw the Tower on fire when I ran out of the shop. When the attack was well underway, I saw a small ship come down. I ended up injured, as you can see, and I found the ship that got shot down, taking refuge there with a small pistol I scavenged. In the ship, I… I found something.” Weakly, she gestured with a hand to a bag beside her. “There’s a book in there.”

Murph reached over and searched the bag, pulling out a small, worn book. He went still when he pulled it into view. Lucy looked over and saw why.

“_The Dark Tower, book 1: The Gunslinger_.” Murph whispered. “I gave Nelan this book.”

“Look inside.”

Lucy watched as Murph opened the book, flipping through the pages until he stopped. He pulled out a photo from the pages.

The photo was of Nelan and her Ghost, Ivo.

It all fell into place.

“No...” Lucy breathed.

Elm gave a sad nod. “The ship was called the _Wardenclyff_. I found this book inside, and when I found that photo, I knew. I had watched Nelan’s ship get shot down. The _Wardenclyff_ was hers.”

Lucy looked to Murph, but nether of them said anything. Silently, he put the photo back where it was and handed the book back to Elm. Only then did he speak. “Thank you for telling us.”

“If it helps any… There was no body near or in the ship. That book is the only reason I knew it was hers. I hid out there for a while, kinda half there on account of...” She gestured to her bandaged head and then her leg. “Someone eventually found me, though I almost shot them. They helped me get out of the City...”

Elm’s words trailed off and she closed her eyes again, her expression showing traces of her in pain. She looked tired. Murph reached forward and placed a hand on her arm.

“Easy now; you’re okay.” He hushed her.

Lucy, still processing the information, stood. “I’m gonna go see if they need people for patrols or anything.”

“That’s probably a good idea. I’ll stay with Elm for a bit longer and then check in with some others regarding medical supplies.”

Lucy left him to tend to Elm, but while she intended to do what she said, she couldn’t help but let her mind wander.

“You’re thinking about Nelan, aren’t you?” Zora asked.

Lucy nodded. The Hunter was not only her teammate, but was her friend, and in time had become like a sister to Lucy. The evidence was all too clear that Nelan had gotten back to the City during the attack, and then the Cabal must have shot her down. However, Elm said she found no body. Ivo could have transmatted her out and to safety, granted this was before they lost the Light. Maybe she was still alive somewhere.

“I think she’s alive.” Zora insisted.

“It’s possible, given what Elm said.” Lucy agreed. “But...”

“We know she’s resilient, one of the best Hunters we know.”

“But even if Ivo did transmat her from the ship before it crashed, something still could have happened. Losing the Light has made us all vulnerable. Me and her can’t take hits like Murph can.”

“Well, I still hold my stance on this, until proven otherwise.”

She sighed, pushing some hair away from her face. She needed to get it cut again… but surviving was more important. “We’ll see.”

* * *

After Murph’s conversation with Elm, and Lucy’s offer to the group to help with any needed patrols, they both mutually agreed to help this small group of people survive. They would keep an eye out for any possible transmissions that pointed to other Guardians that had survived the attack, but lend their skills to help these people. Until there was any sort of indication Guardian forces were organizing back against the Cabal, they couldn’t do much but survive.

They could help these people survive as well.

Murph put himself in the position of being a medic, while also keeping tabs on coms. Lucy organized patrols and scavenging from nearby abandoned settlements, as well as hunting for food sources. They had to move a couple times due to suspected enemy movement in the area, but thankfully they didn’t run into trouble.

It was a gloomy experience, but at the same time, Lucy felt like this was a time to learn as well. Since she and Murph were without Light, they had to adapt to being without their powers, meaning they had to learn how to survive. Lucy hadn’t been lying when she said all Guardians were given basic survival training; she had gone through the training herself. However, there was much she did not know or was experienced in when it came to survival. She, and Murph, had to learn to survive without Light. These people lived without the Light all their lives, a few having ventured beyond City walls (usually forbidden unless you were a Guardian).

About a week after the attack, they had moved onto an abandoned settlement; much better than the cave where the two Guardians had first met the group. There were still no transmissions from any other Guardian or the Vanguard. Lucy feared they were all dead, but wanted to believe they were alive. All she could do was keep hope, she supposed. Hard to do when she lacked any of her former abilities.

More time passed; more time spent in this settlement without trouble, thank the Traveler.

More radio silence…

* * *

Two weeks had passed since the attack…

Lucy and Murph were having a light lunch of cooked meat (from a deer they had caught in a hunt the other day) with Elm, who was looking much better compared to their first meeting. She was still recovering from her more serious injuries, but there was more color to her face and she had regained some of her strength. Murph had also reinforced her splint with additional material and made her a crutch with help from Rheya and a couple others in the group. As it turned out, Murph had picked up some survival skills from refugees he had spent some time with about a week before the Taken War.

As they were having lunch, a civilian who had been assisting with patrols, Mac, approached them with news.

“Sorry for interrupting you guys.” She said, briefly casting her eyes to Elm.

“Not at all.” Lucy assured Mac. “What is it?”

“I picked something up on one of the frequencies that you might want to hear.”

“Let’s take a listen then.” Murph insisted.

Mac came over and took a seat next to Elm. “I was able to hook up my data pad and record it.”

She pressed something on her data pad and set it down in front of her. There was the sound of static at first, but then there came a voice.

> _“To any _ _survivors who can hear my voice. My name is Hawthrone. I have been able to establish a safe zone for any civilians and Guardians fleeing the Last City in the wake of the attack. If you need somewhere to go, we’re here at the Farm. You are all welcome. You’ll be safe here. Be careful out there.”_

“The Farm?” Elm repeated. “Where’s that?”

“I’m not sure.” Mac replied with a shrug. “There was no location listed; just the name.”

“Perhaps to keep it hidden from the Cabal.” Lucy pointed out. “The coms have been down since the Light was taken. This is the first transmission we’ve heard in two weeks.”

“Good point.” Murph agreed. “Rheya, Zora- can ether of you trace back the transmission?”

“We’ll see what we can do.” Zora chimed. “Mac, may we access the data pad?”

“Have at it.” Mac said.

Rheya and Zora scanned the data pad, hovering in the air while they analyzed the transmission. After a few minutes, Rheya spoke up.

“It took a bit, but I think I’ve got it locked.” She said. “Zora, do you have a lock on the same location as well?”

“If it’s the EDZ you’re thinking of, then yes.” The other Ghost replied. “I’m tracking it to an area in the EDZ that used to be Switzerland; near a town called Trostland.”

“You can trace back that transmission?” Mac asked in awe. “Incredible!”

“We are Ghosts.” Rheya spoke again. “We may be without Light right now, but we are also highly complex machines that just happened to be blessed by the Traveler. As machines- we prefer AIs- our functions we were blessed with are still active.”

“One of my clients is a Guardian, and a friend of these two.” Elm cut in. “Her Ghost is a crafty one, and he amazes me with what he’s capable of. Ghosts are amazing beings.”

“Did Ivo talk your ear off when you met Nelan?” Lucy asked.

“He mostly fretted about Nelan while I was doing her tattoo. Little guy has so much love for her.”

Murph chuckled, and Lucy smiled. That sounded about right.

“Right. So this Farm- do you think this message is true?” Murph pondered.

Rheya gave an approximation of a nod. “It checks out.”

“Should we go there?” Mac then paused and pointed out. “Wait, how would we get there?”

“I can speak with some of the others about this transmission.” Lucy volunteered. “They’ll want to know that there is a safe place we might be able to get to. As to your second point- the EDZ is quite a ways from here. Our Ghosts could probably manage to send a message back. And hopefully someone picks up; we would need help getting our people from one place to the other… preferably with ships. It’s sounding like this Farm is a more viable option than moving from place to place every time we get even the slightest hint of Cabal.”

“Worth a shot.”

* * *

“I’ve made contact!” Zora exclaimed.

Murph would have smiled if he could. Instead he looked down at Rheya, who was resting in his hands. “You’re doing great, Rheya. We got them on the line.”

After Lucy had spoken with other members of their group about the transmission and the Farm, they came to an agreement that it would serve as better shelter. That was, granted, they could get in contact with the mysterious Hawthorne.

That’s where Zora and Rheya came into play; the two Ghosts were working together to get in contact with the sender. Rheya lending her own power and energy to help boost the signal through Zora to get in contact.

Which brought them to now.

“Feeding through into the coms, you two.” Zora said.

“Wonderful. Hold the connection if you can. You going to be okay for a few minutes more, Rheya?”

“It’s okay; I’ve got it.” The Ghost replied. It was taking much of her remaining energy to boost the signal.

“Hello? Can you hear us?” Murph started. “This is Guardian Murph-9 and Lucy Carter. We intercepted your broadcast. Do we have Hawthorne on the line?”

Silence, but then-

“This is Hawthorne. Read you loud and clear.” A voice came through on the coms. “Two Guardians, you say?”

“Lightless, but yes. We’re traveling with a group of people from the Last City and are seeking refuge. We could use some help getting there.”

“You’re more than welcome to come to the Farm. I’ve been seeing Guardian and civilian alike show up here after the attack. I have scouts that have been back and forth in the area- we can send a few your way to pick up your group. Are you able to send you’re coordinates?”

“We’ll get our Ghosts to send an encoded message your way.” Lucy confirmed.

“Great. I’ll send the scouts over to meet you once we’ve received the message and have had time to prep. They can be there within a day.”

“Thank you, Hawthorne.” Murph said.

“Thank the Guardian who’s been helping me get the coms network set up.” Hawthorne replied. “Stay safe, and see you soon.”

Still having a lock on the frequency, Zora quickly composed an encoded message with their coordinates and sent it off to Hawthorne. The Ghost sighed and collapsed into Lucy’s waiting hands. The effort must have exhausted her too.

“Now we wait.” Lucy mused.

Murph nodded in agreement. “Yes. Now we wait.”

* * *

As promised, a scout sent by Hawthorne met up with their group the next day. Murph accompanied Lucy when she went to talk with the scout, just as backup. The scout was indeed part of Hawthorne’s group, and was more than happy to help them get to the Farm. He had a couple other scouts, but they all had ships that could help transport them.

Once everything was arranged, the transport move went underway. It took a few hours to reach the EDZ, but it was much better than being in the wilderness of Old Russia.

Once they were at the Farm, Murph and Lucy were taken to meet Hawthorne. They talked with her briefly, as she had some other things to see to, but she commended them both on keeping their group safe. Murph got the impression she wasn’t too keen on talking with Guardians- he knew there were people out there who didn’t approve of Guardians; didn’t trust them.

Later on, he found a spot to do some meditation in, a giant jagged shape in the distance that was known as the Shard of the Traveler. Murph had heard tales of it, a piece of the Traveler blown off in the collapse.

Lucy joined him at one point- he didn’t mind the company.

“Guess we can breathe easy now, yeah?” The Titan said to him.

Murph looked over at her. “For now. We are at war, you realize.”

“Yeah, but we’re safe here. So are those people we helped.”

He considered this, then looked back at the Shard. “Yes, I suppose that’s true.”

* * *

The next day, Murph found someone who would try and fix his leg up. That process involved possibly removing a portion of his leg and fitting it with new material, but Murph didn’t mind.

As his leg was being examined, Rheya appeared to him in an excited flurry.

“Murph! You won’t believe this!”

“Alright, calm down. What is it?” The Warlock said.

“I picked up on this random signal. It’s Cayde’s Ghost, Sundance!”

“What?”

And then Lucy decided to appear as well, walking up to him in quick strides. “Murph, you’re not going to believe this.”

“Wait, wait. One at a time. Lucy, you first-”

“I received a transmission from my friend, Ison.” Lucy exclaimed. “She says she’s on a moon called Titan, out in Saturn’s orbit. She’s currently camped in an old Golden Age facility, with other Guardians, including Zavala. She sent the message in the blind, but she’s asking for our assistance- there’s Hive out there.”

Murph could sense the shiver that ran through Rheya at the mention of Hive. “Then we should go help… as soon as I get my leg fixed up. Although- Rheya’s found something of major interest.”

“Cayde’s Ghost! I’m getting a signal from her.” Rheya reiterated.

“Seriously? How?” Lucy asked.

“I’m not entirely certain. The trace back indicates… um- what? No, that’s-” Her back points rotated. “The signal’s being boosted from a centaur called Nessus. But reports indicated Nessus is of no interest, plus it’s a bit far out there. If I’m reading this right, then something really, really strong must be amplifying it.”

“What do we do about it then?”

“If Rheya’s receiving it, then there may be the slightest chance we can connect to it. Though given the source is Nessus we might not be able to connect at all. Still, we should try. A signal from Sundance indicates Cayde may be alive. What he’s doing out on Nessus is anyone’s guess though. IF we can’t connect back to it, then we head to Titan and inform Zavala. He’d want to know about this.”

“That he would.” Lucy agreed.

Murph ended up with some components in his leg replaced, but once it was done, he and Lucy went to see Hawthorne. They would need supplies if they were to head out to Titan. They explained why they had to leave, which Hawthorne seemed skeptical about, but said she’d see what she could spare for them.

And then they mentioned Cayde and Nessus…

“We think we’ve found one of our Vanguard.” Murph explained. “However, we’re hoping that there’s some equipment around that can help us connect to it so we can confirm it’s Cayde.”

“I think there’s something lying around in the barn that can help, but let me call someone up real quick. There was a Guardian that’s been helping out around here that mentioned something about this guy. She’s been out in Trostland since yesterday, but she should be back soon. I think she’ll be interested in this information.”

Hawthorne could have been talking about any of the other Guardians that had come here seeking refuge, and yet… it made Murph think of a singular Guardian instead.

As they left Hawthrone and went to the barn, Lucy asked, “That Guardian Hawthorne mentioned- Could it be…?”

“It’s crossed my mind.” Murph admitted.

Once in the barn, someone pointed them in in the direction of some communications equipment up on the upper floor. Hopefully this will allow them to connect to that signal from Sundance- Rheya was still tracking. Both Rheya and Zora came out to utilize the equipment to this effort in establishing a connection.

As the Ghosts worked…

“I’m looking for two Guardians that came in here.” A familiar voice called out bellow on the ground floor.

Murph knew that voice.

He looked to Lucy. “That voice. Was that.”

“I heard it too.” She was probably thinking the same thing Murph was.

‘_It is her.’_

There was a rush of footsteps on wood; ascending up the stairs to the landing and coming closer.

“Hawthorne said they were in here.” A more electronic voice.

“Do they know where Sundance’s signal traced back t-”

The voice cut off. The footsteps stopped. Murph and Lucy turned, and saw the Guardian standing shocked before them.

It was Nelan; Ivo at her shoulder.

No one said anything for a moment, as if no one could believe it. Finally-

“You guys...” She muttered.

Lucy was the first one to move, striding forward and embracing Nelan. Murph watched as the Hunter put her arms around Lucy in return.

“Sister, mine...” Lucy whispered, holding Nelan near for a moment longer before letting her go. She stepped back and cast her glance towards Murph, a smile on her lips.

“So you’re here, Starchild.” He said, using the old nickname.

She chuckled before walking over to him. “Still with the silly nickname.”

Now it was her giving him a hug, though Murph winced. “Easy, easy. My leg got shot during the attack. Rheya couldn’t heal it all the way.”

Nelan stepped back, worry crossing her features. “You were there.”

“We both were.” Lucy said. “We were on our way to the Tower when we lost the Light. I got knocked out by a Thresher blast and Murph got himself shot while hiding from the Cabal. He found me and we made it out of the City.”

“We came across Elm, your tattoo artist. She told us she saw your ship get shot out of the air, and we feared the worst happened to you.” Murph spoke again.

“That was before the Light was taken. They did shoot at my ship, but I was able to steer it toward the Tower and Ivo transmatted me out.” Nelan explained.

Zora and Rheya the flew forward, clearly glad to see Ivo. Zora spoke first. “You made it too!”

“I’ve been better, but we’re alive.” Ivo replied. His voice made it sound like he was tired. His shell was scuffed and burnt. “We took a pretty serious beating during the attack, but we got out of the City too.”

“We were wandering around for a week before coming across Hawthorne.” Nelan added, but then changed the subject. “She called me as I was getting back from Trostland. Did you really get a signal from Sundance? From Cayde?”

“We did.” Murph confirmed. “Rheya picked it up and she traced it back to a place called Nessus. According to available data, Nessus is a centaur just past Saturn. It’s mostly rock- nothing interesting.”

“Rheya, are you sure this signal is Sundance?”

“I double checked it.” Rheya confirmed. “It is Sundance. We theorize something powerful there is boosting the signal.”

“Why is Cayde even there?”

Lucy shrugged. “Knowing Cayde, who knows. We’re trying to establish connection with Sundance.”

Ivo joined the two other Ghosts in trying to get through to Sundance, and the three Guardians waited patiently to see if they could manage that. After a few minutes of quiet, the Ghosts glancing at each other while messing with the equipment, Ivo spoke.

“No good. We can track it but we can’t establish connection with Sundance.” Ivo told them. “Our best bet would be to have someone actually go out to Nessus.”

“We got a call from a friend asking us to come to Titan.” Lucy said. “She says Zavala is there, but they’re also dealing with a Hive problem. We can relay the message when we get there.”

“Or...” Nelan interjects. She looks to be in thought. She has an idea. “Or… I go to Nessus.”

“What?” Lucy exclaimed.

“Nelan, are you sure?” Murph asked.

“If Nessus is really a big ball of nothing then it should be fine, and I’m a Hunter; I can handle this. Plus,” Nelan looked around and then dropped the tone of her voice. “I have a secret. Zora, Rheya- scan me and Ivo.”

The two Ghosts in question looked at each other, but did as asked. The scan only took a moment, but once it was done, the two flinched back in surprise.

“How is that possible?!”

“No way! How do you two still have it?!”

“Shh!” Ivo shushed them.

“What is it? Murph asked, curious.

Rheya turned sharply to him. “The Light!”

She didn’t need to say any more. He understood it in an instant. Surprised himself, he looked to Nelan, smiling slightly, and then to Lucy. She had realized it too, judging by her expression.

“The Light… You still have- H-how?” Lucy questioned.

“It’s a bit of a story; remind me to tell you if this war ever ends.” Was all the Nelan responded with. “We’re trying to keep this on the down-low for now as to not let the Red Legion get wind of it. Enemy forces have already tried to get the Shard, and while I don’t have as much strength in my Light as before, it could help other Guardians, if they so chose to trust in it. As long as Ivo is with me, I’ll be okay.” She lifts a hand up, glancing at Ivo, and the Ghost instantly moved to nuzzle her open palm.

“Well, at the very least, Zavala should know.” Lucy pointed out.

“Alright. Speaking of- have either of you heard from Ikora?”

Murph shook his head. “That’s the one Vanguard member we don’t have any leads on.”

“Last I know, she went looking for the Speaker. Let’s just hope she’s out there and alive.”

“I’m with you there.” Murph truly hoped Ikora was alive. Ikora was his mentor, his guide through his earliest days as a Warlock. He was a Voidwalker, like her, and she had offered guidance in his lessons with the Void.

“So, I guess we have a plan then.” Lucy said. “Me and Murph go to Titan, you go to Nessus.”

“Sounds about right.” Ivo confirmed.

* * *

Nelan was the one who took off first.

Rheya had transferred the coordinates of Nessus to Ivo so he could navigate, and Nelan had since organized her supplies for the trip. Murph and Lucy met with her briefly before she left, exchanging hugs and wishes for safe travels.

The Hunter gave them a bright smile before jogging back to her ship, borrowed from Hawthorne.

After she left, Murph and Lucy gathered supplies that Hawthorne had been able to spare for them and took them to a ship they were borrowing for the journey as well. They still had their own task; to head to Titan and help the survivors out there. They were on a different path from their Hunter friend and teammate; but hopefully it would not be the last time they saw each other.

“You ready to go fight some Hive on Titan?” Lucy asked him, setting down some supplies by the ship.

Murph knew that without their Light, one wrong step could mean the end of them both, especially with the Hive. However, if their efforts could help others live on, then it would be worth it.

“Let’s go to Titan.”


End file.
